Dozens of cars left trapped by floodwater and landslides were shipped to safety aboard Royal Marine landing craft yesterday, and it was all thanks to a brilliant ten-year-old boy.

Around 30 vehicles had been
left stranded on a dead-end after a 20 metre stretch of road collapsed at
Calstock, Cornwall, on Christmas Day.

With repairs to the flood-ravaged lane
likely to take months, it seemed there was nothing that could be done, until schoolboy Charlie Southcott came up
with a plan to reach the marooned motors by water.

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All aboard: Royal Marine Commandos oversee the rescue of dozens of trapped cars in a mission dreamed up by a 10-year-old-boy

In an operation approved by the Government’s Cobra emergency committee, four amphibious landing craft were able to collect the vehicles from an old WWII slipway and ferry them down the River Tamar.

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Charlie and his serviceman dad Christopher, 44, had attended a Navy carol service where the two met the Royal Marine’s Commodore Graeme Little.

Mastermind: Schoolboy Charlie Southcott has been hailed a hero in his local community after coming up with the plan to rescue the vehicles

When the Southcott's car was stranded days later, Charlie handed the commodore’s card to a local councillor and suggested they borrow his boats.

Cornwall Council then contacted the Commodore and fleshed out Charlie’s suggestion into a full-scale rescue operation.

Ministers and disaster planners on the Government’s Cobra committee - only held at times of national emergency - pored over the details before giving the mission the green light.

Marines from 1 Assault Group swung into action, launching four amphibious landing craft on the River Tamar - just as Charlie had envisaged.

The trapped cars were then driven down to the slipway at Calstock - built for the US military in 1943 - before being loaded onto the boats one by one.

They were then taken a few miles down the river to Cotehele Quay to be unloaded and driven away by their owners.

Charlie lives with his dad and mum Vanessa, 37, on scenic Lower Kelly, which began to subside on Christmas morning and experienced a second shift later in the day.

The collapse effectively sheared the remote village of Calstock in two, leaving 20 homes and a row of parked cars marooned.

Five families were forced to evacuate amid fears their houses could topple into the Tamar, which separates Devon and Cornwall.

Residents were able to skirt around the collapsed road and walk through woodland to reach their homes and cars.

Cause: Heavy rains and flooding caused a landslide on Christmas day that left around 30 vehicles trapped on a dead end road

A Royal Marine inspects a row of vehicles left trapped after the 20 metre stretch of road collapsed at Calstock, Cornwall

Action plan: Young Charlie's rescue plan involved shipping the cars a few miles down the River Tamar to Cotehele Quay

But their was no way to drive them away without plunging into the river or hacking down hundreds of trees.

Charlie’s mum Vanessa, a civil
servant, added: 'We went down to Devonport Naval base in Plymouth on
Christmas Eve as my husband works down there.

'Charlie saw the commodore and asked if we could go up and speak to him at the end as he had never spoken to one before.

'So
we went over and had a chat with him for about 10 to 15 minutes then at
the end Commodore Little gave Charlie his business card.

'We didn’t think anything of it until Christmas Day when our cars and several others got stuck.

'Charlie
came to a public meeting with me on Boxing Day and he suggested to the
local councillor that she called Commodore Little and passed on his
number.

Operation: Cars are loaded aboard a Royal Marines' landing craft from an old WWII slipway on the River Tamar

Easy does it: Four amphibious landing craft were able to collect the vehicles from the slipway and ferry them down the River Tamar

Turnout: Locals wave from the riverbank as one of the cars is ferried away

'I don’t think she could really believe it when he gave her his number. Charlie has lived in Calstock all his life and knows it very well.

'He suggested they use the Marines to transport the cars - he’s chuffed to bits and is thrilled that he’s been able to help out with all of this.

Charlie,
who was given the afternoon off school,was among the
crowds who gathered at the banks of the Tamar to watch the Royal Marines
loading the cars on to their landing crafts.

He said: 'When I went to the
service on Christmas Eve I spoke to the Commodore about how Plymouth
Naval Base was the biggest base in Europe. After we spoke he gave me his
card with his number on it - he was very nice.

'They
held a meeting in the village a few days later and weirdly I had the
Commodore’s phone number in my pocket. I gave it to a councillor and
then she called the Commodore and spoke to him about it.

Rescue committee: Three of the four landing craft head off along the River Tamar. Charlie's brilliant plan was approved at the highest level by the government's Cobra emergency committee

On their way: The cars were taken a few miles down the river to Cotehele Quay to be unloaded and driven away by their owners

Brainchild: Charlie suggested the idea to local councilors and was even able to hand them the business card of Navy Commodore Graeme Little who he had met at a carol service

That's the ticket: Proud Charlie with the business card given to him by Royal Navy Commodore Graeme Little

'I
thought it would work really well if they got the cars onto a boat and
down the river. The boats pass here so I see them quite a lot. The Royal
Navy are close so I thought it would be good if they could help out.'

Charlie, who attends Calstock
Community Primary School, said it was 'awesome' that the marines had
agreed to put his plan into action.

Colonel
Garth Manger, Commanding Officer of 1 Assault Group, based at Devonport
Naval base, said the landing vehicles were normally used to carry
troops.

WHAT IS THE COBRA COMMITTEE?

Named after the Cabinet Office briefing rooms where it meets, the Cobra, or Civil Contingencies Committee meets during national emergencies such as natural disasters or acts of terrorism.

Chaired by the Home Secretary, it is supported by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, which forms part of the Cabinet Office.

Its primary role is to coordinate the actions of the various bodies within the UK, including local authorities, fire and rescue, the police and the armed forces.

It will also meet to discuss events happenening in foreign countrues which are deemed to have major implications for the UK.

The Prime MInister has the authority to convene Cobra whenever he feels the country is facing an emergency situation.

Examples of when the Cobra committee has met include foot-and-mouth scares, the fuel crisis of 2000 and the Icelandic volcanic eruption that shut down UK airspace in 2010.

He said: 'The Royal Navy is delighted to come to the aid of the civilian authorities who would normally assist the public.

'In this case we are using Royal Marine expertise in providing amphibious boats where there is no other feasible access to repatriate vehicles to the national road network.

'My men train to conduct disaster relief around the world and while this is slightly different it is a fantastic opportunity to do some real training while helping the community in which we live.'

Cornwall Council provided a fleet of hire cars for all the stranded motorists. They said the entire rescue operation could last as long as two days.

Cllr Dorothy Kirk said the drivers would likely have been without their vehicles for months had Charlie not bent the Commadore’s ear.

She joked: 'I doubt very much whether COBRA had heard of Calstock before.'

A total of 39 vehicles will be floated to safety in a two day operation.

Charlie has lived in the pretty Cornish village all his life with his parents and younger brother William, seven.

Charlie’s mum Vanessa said the family had been without their Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus since Christmas Day and were forced to use hire cars.

She said: 'It’s been a pretty expensive January as we’ve had to rent two cars ourselves which has cost us £1,500. The council say they're going to reimburse us, but it’s a lot of money to pay out.'

The family, who live on Lower Kelly, were able to stay in their house when the road collapsed, unlike a few of their neighbours who were forced to move out amid safety concerns.

Councillor Bert Biscoe, responsible for Transport and Waste at Cornwall Council, said: 'Charlie had a bright idea - he looked at the situation and used his noddle, he’s clearly a problem solving boy.

'He approached a couple of members of our staff and asked if the phone number would be of any help and so here we are. Its a really good liaison between the council, the police, the community and the Marines.